Desire
by Jduck9
Summary: Aria is falling for Jason, and hard...but what will everyone do when they find out? JASON/ARIA. Even if you're an EZRIA fan, take a look at this. It's gonna be goooood. ;D RATED T.
1. The Start of Something New

"The truth is, I do care about your brother...but I also care about _you._ I wanted to tell you in the off chance that you might feel the same way..." Jason rushed to get his words out. He had never felt more vulnerable than he did at this moment, standing in front of Aria, revealing himself to her.

Aria's mouth dropped ever-so-slightly. What did he mean? Does he want to be friends? Before she could ask him anything, he gently pressed his lips against hers. At first, she fought against it but soon found her body going limp in Jason's arms as she thought back to old 7th grade memories, running into his at the basketball courts and him telling her "I liked that pink hair," and him not turning Mike in when he broke into Jason's house. She started to kiss him back. There was only one problem..._Ezra. _Aria stiffened. What would Ezra say if he were here right now? Would he break up with her?

Aria pulled away abruptly. "I can't do this..." she stuttered.

"Why not?" Jason asked.

"I'm not...available." Aria gulped. "I'm s-sorry."

And with that, she took off running.

Jason looked after her as she took off. "Aria, wait! Please!" he called.

She didn't turn around. Tears were streaming down her face. Since when did her life become so confusing?


	2. Home

Aria had come home crying. She was frustrated and torn on what to do. Jason had made her nothing but confused. As Aria walked into the house, she quickly realized that her dad and Mike had already gone to sleep, but Ella had stayed up waiting for her. Aria took a deep breath and tried to walk past her.

"Well?" Ella said. "Explain yourself please."

"I went out...to talk to someone."

"Why are you crying? What's going on?"

"Mom, please. Everything's fine. I promise. But I'm tired and need sleep, kay?"

Aria's mom nodded at her, but she was worried about her daughter.

Aria didn't sleep at all that night. She tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't stop thinking about Jason, and how it had felt when he kissed her. His kissed were different than Ezra's kisses...Jason's were more..._intense._ But what did that kiss really mean?

She knew what she had to do the next morning.


	3. Cheater

Aria took a deep breath as she knocked on the door. _Jason's _door.

After a few moments of silence, the door opened. "Aria..." Jason eyed her cautiously. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." Aria blurted out. "Y-You _kissed_ me."

Jason chuckled. "I know. I was there, remember?"

Aria tried her best to laugh along. "Right. Um, so...I...uh..."

"Why don't you come inside?" Jason opened the door farther and held it open for her. She took a moment, but then followed him inside.

The house design itself was the same as it was when Ali lived there, but all of the furniture was different. _Everything _was different. Aria didn't mind. In fact, she'd rather it be completely different so she didn't have to think of Ali every five seconds.

"I like what you've done with the place." Aria said. Jason looked unconvinced. "No, really."

"...Thanks. Do you want anything to drink? Water?" He asked.

"Uh, actually, can I have a beer?" Jason shot her a funny look but then smiled. Aria blushed.

"Good idea." Jason said, the smirk still etched on his face.

He quickly returned from the kitchen with two beers in hand and sat down next to Aria on the couch. He handed her a beer and held his up in the air. "Cheers."

"To what?" Aria asked with a smile on her face.

"To us...being friends."

Aria halfheartedly raised her bottle and then took a long sip. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about..." Aria said. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Aria...I already told you why. I'm sorry if I crossed any boundaries, but I really do care about you..." Jason said. "I like you. I like you a lot. It's always been you."

There was a painfully long pause. Finally, Aria said something. "I like you too...but I _can't._"

"Wouldn't you rather go out with someone you can actually be seen in public with?" Jason snapped.

Aria's mouth dropped. "H-How? How do you know?"

"Let's just say I share my sister's talent of finding out secrets..."

"Jason," Aria's voice was hard. "You can't tell _anyone. _You understand that, right?"

"Of course not...but it'd be different if you actually loved _teacher-boy_, which you don't, because if you did, you wouldn't have kissed me back."

"How dare you! I _love _Ezra. I just-I just forgot where I was..."

"No, you forgot _Ezra._"

Aria choked on tears. "Well you obviously don't like me as much as you say you do, because if you _did_, you'd leave Ezra and I _alone_." She stood up and threw her beer bottle down on the ground and it shattered everywhere, spilling beer and scattering glass all over the floor. She stomped towards the door, but Jason ran after her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around.

"Aria, _please_." Jason said. "I'm sorry."

"Let me go."

"No."

Aria _really _started to cry. She couldn't believe she was such a mess, in front of Jason. "I'm sorry I threw my beer on the ground." She cried. "And the truth is, I don't love Ezra...as much as I used to. Things have gotten...boring."

"Shh, Aria, it's okay." Jason said soothingly. He pulled Aria into a hug. She didn't pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arm through his and around his shoulder blade and leaned her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating. One of his hands was resting on her back, while the other was holding the back of her head. He was playing with her hair and tucking it behind her ears. Suddenly, Aria pulled her head up and looked at him, still embraced in his hug.

"Kiss me." She whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

Jason smirked and leaned down as his and Aria's lips connected. The kisses started off slow and gentle, but Aria soon found herself desiring more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and bit on his lip. This time, Jason was the one to pull away.

"You shouldn't be a cheater..." Jason breathed. "You have to break up with him if you want this to happen again.


	4. Jackie

Aria sat in the car a few extra moments before she walked into Hollis to find Ezra. She still wasn't sure what she would say to him when she made it to his office. Finally there, she opened his office door. What she saw shocked her.

Ezra and _Jackie._

_Kissing. _

"Oh my God." She mumbled.

"Aria, oh God. I-I-" Ezra stuttered. "Jackie and I-"

"Are getting married again." Jackie interrupted him. A sly smile twitched in the corners of her mouth.

Aria's mouth dropped. "How could you hide something like this from me? How could you _do _this?"

Ezra leaned over and touched Aria's arm "Aria, please."

Aria slapped it away. "Don't. Ever. Touch. Me. Again." She said through her teeth. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Goodbye, Ezra."

She stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

What hurt the most was that he didn't come after her.


	5. The Bar

It wasn't until Aria downed her third glass of vodka that she remembered that it was at this very bar that she first met Ezra. She wiped a tear that started to slide down her already tear-stained face. She couldn't believe that Ezra had plans to get _remarried_ and had just kept _lying_ to Aria.

She noticed a tall, muscley guy suddenly get up from the other side of the bar and walk towards her. "Hey, pretty girl." The man said in a deep, raspy voice.

Aria ignored him. The man was at least twice her age, and she didn't want to get herself into any trouble tonight.

Suddenly, his hand was on her back with which he was forcefully pushing her outside. Her head was spinning. She couldn't tell what was going on. She struggled against his strong body, but it did no good. The cold, nippy air stung as it slapped against her face and she realized she was outside. She was in an alley, being pressed against a warm brick wall. For a moment, he released his grip and Aria raced to get away. She was too drunk. She stumbled over a metal trashcan that made a loud _clang _as it collided with the cement ground. The man tightly grabbed her again, this time by her waist. His touch made Aria sick to her stomach. His hands were sliding up underneath her tight black tank top. Aria started to kick him. He then grabbed on to her even tighter, his hands practically digging into her hips. She let out a cry. She was in pain. She felt that if he grabbed any tighter, her organs would burst open and her rips would snap apart.

"Stop!" She tried to scream, but it came out as a mumble as he slid his greasy tongue into her mouth and lifted one hand underneath her bra.

Aria suddenly felt a surge of empowerment. She lifted her hands up and started clawing and scratching at his face and neck. He took his hand out of her bra and stopped kissing her, and for a moment she thought it was over.

Until he pulled a pocketknife out of his jacket. Her eyes went wide and her lips started to quiver.

"That's what I thought. Now if you want this to happen without anyone getting..._hurt,_" He said, gesturing to the knife in his hand, "you'll learn to _enjoy _it."

"You won't get away with this." Aria shot back at him.

The man started to chuckle. He suddenly pulled his fist back and straight into Aria's face.

"Agh!" She screamed.

"I'm more powerful than you, lady. Now shut your damn mouth and let me finish."

Aria suddenly noticed the reflection on the moon shining on another pair of eyes behind the man.

"The _lady _said to stop." The person behind the pair of eyes said. His voice sounded familiar. The guy was wearing a gray hoodie over his head, so she couldn't tell who exactly it was.

Suddenly, the man was pulled off of Aria and punches were being thrown at his face by the guy in the hoodie.

"Aria, get to my car! It's at the end of the other side of the alley!" The guy said quickly, out of breath.

"What?" Aria had no idea who this person was. She wouldn't go to his car. And how on earth did he know her _name? _

"Trust me, Aria. Just go. Run!"

Aria didn't know why, but she believed him. She did what he said. She took off running towards the other end of the alley. It hurt to run in her heels. A small, beat up car was waiting at the end, just like the guy said, and it was still running.

She ran into the passenger seat as fast as she could and then looked back. The man who had been kissing her moments ago was lying against the alley wall, holding his head. The guy in the hoodie was running toward his car. He got in.

"Aria, are you okay?" The guy said. He lifted the gray hood off his head.

It was _Jason. _

"_Jason?" _Aria squeaked.

"We have to get you to the hospital."

"What? He punched me...it's fine. It'll be fine." Aria argued.

"You didn't feel it?"

"Feel _what_?"

"Aria, that man back there _stabbed _you!"

Aria looked down at herself. She just noticed that her tank top was missing, and she was bare in her black lace bra and black skinny jeans, and there was a bleeding wound the size of a pocketknife just left of her belly button. "Oh my God..." she mumbled. She felt woozy. The sight of blood always made her sick. Suddenly, everything went black.


	6. The Hospital

Aria's eyes flickered open and she took in the bright white room. As she heard the beeping of the heart rate monitor, she realized that she was still in the hospital. She didn't remember much from the night before, aside from Jason saving her and Jason carrying her into the hospital late in the night. She looked around. Jason was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, probably asleep. Aria noticed that the beeping started to go faster when she saw him. Next to him was Aria's mom and dad, but no Mike. On the other side of the room was an older female doctor running tests on Aria.

"Aria!" Her mom exclaimed. "Byron, she's awake."

"Thank God." He said.

"Glad to see you're up." The doctor said with a warm smile on her face.

Jason looked up suddenly. He looked exhausted, but he managed to smile.

"Wh-what happened to me?" Aria mumbled.

"Aria,..." Her mom started, choking up. "You were stabbed last night when you were walking home. Jason saw you and brought you to the hospital. He saved you."

Aria looked to Jason. He hadn't said anything about her almost being raped. He knew she wouldn't have wanted him to. And Jason had given her his hoodie last night so her parents wouldn't know she didn't have a shirt on. She silently thanked him with her eyes. He nodded.

"You lost a lot of blood." The doctor said. "When the young man carried you in last night, we weren't sure you would make it. You were already unconscious. You also had to get some stitches on your face. Thanks to him, you're going to be okay. You'll probably be able to go home tomorrow."

"Mike actually wanted to come, but he's at school." Byron said.

"Uh, guys, can I speak with Jason for a minute..._alone?_" Aria asked.

"Sure, of course." Ella nodded.

Shortly, Aria and Jason were alone in her hospital room.

There was a long silence.

"Thank you." Aria finally said.

Jason didn't respond to her. "Do you know how fucking stupid you are, Aria?" He suddenly said.

Aria flinched.

"You went to a bar _by yourself_, and got _drunk_. What in the world were you thinking? You know, I've already lost my sister and just last night another girl I love was almost killed. Do you know how irresponsible you are?"

"You love me?"

Jason looked away. He hadn't meant for that part to slip out. "That's seriously all you got from what I just said?"

Aria fought back a chuckle. "Pretty much, yeah."

Jason started to laugh too.

Aria suddenly got serious. "Ezra and Jackie are getting married. All this time, I thought he was in love with me. But...I guess not. I can't believe I almost had sex with him." Aria didn't know why she was telling Jason all of this, but she felt it was necessary.

She suddenly heard the familiar buzz of her phone, meaning she had just received a text message. "Oh, God." _A._

"Aria, is everything okay?"

Aria sighed. "No, Jason. Everything's _not _okay. My life is really messed up, and I highly suggest that before you get too involved in it, you _leave_."

Jason had a smirk on his face. "And what if I don't?"

Aria started to smile, too. "Then I may just kill you."

"Oh really?"

"I'm warning you."

"I don't follow the rules."

"Neither do I...that's why I dyed my hair pink."

"I don't follow the rules...that's why I love you."

Aria looked away and didn't meet his gaze again for a long time.

"Too soon?" Jason asked.

Aria nodded. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Jason didn't respond; he just nodded his head.

"I should go." He said. "Goodbye Aria. Feel better." He kissed her on the forehead, sending electricity up and down her spine, and he was gone. She reached to the side of the hospital bed for her phone and picked it up.

*** 7 NEW TEXT MESSAGES ***

One was from Jason, after Aria had left his house: It was wrong of me to make you leave. Sorry.

One was from Ella, last night: Honey, where are you? Come home soon. I'm worried. -Mom

Another was from Ezra: Aria, we need to talk. This isn't what it seems.

And from Emily: Oh my God...I just heard. Are you okay? Feel better. -Em

And from Spencer: ARIA! Call me as soon as you can. Please tell me you're alright!

From Hanna: OMG! Did you seriously get stabbed? Was it A? Please text me back ASAP. Xoxo

Unknown number: How was it being saved by your handsome little hero? Better watch out, Aria...Superman isn't as innocent as he seems.

As Always,

_A_

P.S. Oh and Aria, do feel better sweetie. I want you back on your feet so I can have some more fun with you.


	7. A's Aftermath

Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily were in Aria's room. Aria, with a bandage wrapped tightly around her stomach, a cast on her right arm, and stitches on her face, was propped up on her bed. The rest of the girls were laying on the floor snacking on Jordan almonds, licorice, and popcorn. Aria was just finishing up telling her group of friends the story of what happened the previous night...leaving out the parts where she and Jason kissed, of course. "I just...I can't believe I almost _died."_

"Next time you really need to be more careful, Aria. You went out _drinking _all by _yourself. _What if A had tried to kill you?" Spencer blurted.

"No, Aria. Don't listen to her. She's always anal about everything...what matters most is that you're safe. It's okay." Hanna argued.

"No, it's _not okay!_"

"You guys, stop fighting!" Emily screamed suddenly. It was the first thing she'd said that evening. "We're most vulnerable when we're fighting and keeping things from each other. As long as we remain strong, A's got nothing on us."

"So why did you get so drunk anyways?" Hanna asked.

Spencer lightly hit Hanna's arm. "That's nosey!"

Emily glared at them.

Aria shook her head. "It's fine, Spence." She opened her mouth, but then shut it again, looking for the right words. "I, um...I...I caught Ezra...with Jackie."

"Oh my God! No!" Emily blurted.

Aria nodded her head, _yes. _"They're getting married. But...I really don't want to talk about it."

Suddenly, all of their phones beeped simultaneously. Knowing what was coming, they all groaned in unison. One by one, they hesitantly looked at their phones.

_**Hey bitches! Did you miss me? **_

_**Boy, was I just overcome with grief when I heard the news about Aria...mostly because I would have loved to do that myself. Oh no, was that a threat? Better do what I say, bitches, or else one of you is next. **_

_**xoxo**_

_**A**_


	8. Anger Management

Aria was confused, there was no doubt about it. She was still recovering from the terror of being attacked and stabbed at the bar, coping with the emotions of her boyfriend cheating on her and getting back with his ex (but wait, didn't Aria cheat too?), and trying to avoid the disaster path that A had put her and her friends on. But at least she didn't have to go to school for the whole week.

Her parents had to go to work and didn't want Aria to be home alone just in case something happened, so they asked Jason to come over and watch her.

The last thing Aria wanted was a babysitter.

Jason watched Aria from the corner of the room and she sat propped up on the couch, absent-mindedly flipping the channels on the TV.

Jason sighed and walked himself over and sat down next to Aria.

Aria turned to look at him, her expression serious. "Am I crazy? Because sometimes I feel like I'm crazy."

Jason looked at her funny, but she looked right back and he went on to answer. "...No. You're the perfect amount of _not normal,_ but you're definitely not crazy. Why would you ask that?"

"Because if this was a movie, or even a book...my character would be the crazy one. I'm the one who hooks up with her teacher, and...and becomes friends with a bitch...no offense to your sister...and gets crazy drunk and gets stabbed and almost dies but yet here I am, alive, sitting alone next to the dead-bitch-who-I-used-to-hang-out-with's older brother with a strange urge to kiss him." Aria took a long pause. "Did you get all that?"

Jason offered her a small smile. "I think so. I think I heard something about you wanting to kiss me?"

"Oh, is that what you heard?" Aria teased, a smile growing on her face.

"I haven't seen you smile in a while. Look, I know you have a lot of shit going on in your life, but you have a beautiful smile. Use it."

"Well, I'm smiling right now, aren't I?"

"Good."

Both Jason and Aria stayed quiet for a while, staring at the old game show rerun that was playing on the TV. With the sound muted, it was hard to tell what was going on.

"So how about that kiss?" Jason asked with a smile.

Aria smiled sheepishly and started to move towards him.

"No, don't. I don't want you hurting yourself. I'll come to you."

"Well, come and get it." Aria flirted.

Jason lifted Aria up and placed her on his lap, taking her spot on the couch. He cupped his hands around her face and gently kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and passionately kissed him back.

"I've never felt this safe before. You're like my own personal bodyguard." Aria whispered into his neck.

"Aria..."

"What?"

"The truth is, you really shouldn't feel that safe with me."

"...Why not?"

"I have anger management issues. If someone pisses me off, I lose control. They're as good as dead. I've done some things that I really regret."

Aria stopped for a moment, thinking back to one of A's texts about Jason. _'Superman isn't as innocent as he seems.' _Aria looked up at Jason, pulling herself off of him a bit. "Jason...um, I really don't know how to ask this...did you...were you...where were you the night Ali disappeared?"

Jason looked taken aback. "What the hell? You think I killed Ali? Look, I know we weren't the closest of siblings, but you have no right to accuse me of killing my own _sister!_"

"Wait, Jason! I didn't think that...I wasn't accusing you, I swear. I just had to be sure."

"What do you mean you _had to be sure?_ Don't you know me well enough to know I would never do that?" Jason lifted Aria off of him and stood up. He started pacing back and forth. "I think I should go."

"No, Jason, wait!"

Jason ignored her and kept walking towards the front door.

"Jason, there's something you need to know! I asked you that because I got a text message! I—I don't know who it was from...but they told me you were hiding something. Something I should be afraid of." Jason stopped walking and turned to face Aria, so she continued. "If this is all you were hiding from me, I can handle it. But I need to know."

"Yeah, yeah...this is it." Jason said. "You said you got a text message? Was it anonymous?"

"Yes..."

"Aria, I overheard Alison in her room once. She got anonymous texts like that too."

Aria gulped. "What—what kind of texts, exactly?"

"Threats...scary ones."


	9. Added Pressure

Aria chewed at her nails. She was just about ready to explode from all the pressure being put on her. She was dealing with A's constant threats, her secret relationship with Jason, trying to figure out who Ali's killer was; all of this while still recovering from her near-death experience. She felt like she needed to tell the girls that Ali had been receiving anonymous texts like them too, but they'd definitely ask how Aria knew this. And then Aria would have to tell them about her and Jason. She wasn't even sure there was a "her and Jason", so she definitely wasn't ready to tell her friends. They just wouldn't understand.

She felt her phone buzz and she stiffened. She gathered up the courage to look at the screen but what she saw relieved her—it wasn't A. Spencer was calling her.

"Hello?" Aria said as she lifted the phone to her ear.

"It's Spence." There was an uncomfortable pause. "You need to see something. Turn on the news"

Aria sat up in her bed and reached across the nightstand for the remote. She hit the power button and read the headline of the screen. She lifted her hand to her mouth in shock. She felt like she was going to pass out.

"Oh my God." Aria whimpered into the phone.

In big, bold, font, it read: **BREAKING NEWS: ROSEWOOD TEEN, EMILY FIELDS, MISSING**

"I know." Spencer said. "We have to find her. Hanna's meeting me at my house in 5."

"I'll be right over." And Aria hung up.

She threw on a shirt and jeans and laced up her combat boots. She grabbed her messenger bag and was headed for the door when her phone buzzed again. Sure it was only Spencer, Aria glanced at the screen.

**Better play your cards right, Aria. Or she's dead.**

_**-A**_

Aria sprinted out the door to Spencer's.


	10. Ali Goes Missing

Spencer, Hanna, and Aria sat in Spencer's room, all three of them freaked out of their minds. Hanna had been pacing back and forth for a solid ten minutes, Spencer was sprawled out on the floor, and Aria had curled into a fetal position on Spencer's bed.

"How could this have happened?" Hanna yelled.

"Guys, we all know Emily's vulnerable. _A_ could have said anything to lure her somewhere." Spencer said, matter-of-fact.

"Yeah, we just have to figure out where that _somewhere _is." Aria countered. "And Hanna, _stop pacing. _You're giving me a headache."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was about you. I thought this was about our friend, Emily. My bad." Hanna said sarcastically.

"Guys, _stop. _If Emily were here right now, you know what she'd say. She tell us that A is strongest when we're fighting. If we expect to take A down, we have to stay together." Spencer said.

"How can we stay together when one of us isn't here?" Hanna snapped.

"I have something to tell you." Aria said suddenly. "I've been seeing Jason."

"Jason _DiLaurentis_?" Spencer asked, astonished.

"As in _seeing-seeing?"_

"Yeah. We're seeing each other…I think."

"How long?" Spencer asked.

"A couple of days."

"So why are you telling us _now?" _Hanna asked.

"I think _A _was planning on using it against me somehow. So, I wanted to let the cat out of the bag."

"Aria, Jason's dangerous." Spencer warned.

"He's really not. And he knows stuff that could be useful…he told me Ali received anonymous text messages too. Threats."

"You told him about _A?"_

"Of course not!" Aria yelled.

Suddenly, Spencer's phone rang. "Oh my God, it's Emily!" she exclaimed when she saw the screen. "Emily! Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm just really out of it. I don't know how I got here. I think…I think someone drugged me."

"_Where_ are you?"

"I'm at Ali's grave. You guys, she's _gone."_

"Who's gone?"

"Ali's gone!"

"Em, she's been gone..she died 3 years ago."

"No, her body."

"What?"

"Her body's missing! Someone dug up her body! When I woke up, the shovel was in my hand."

"Emily, listen to me. You need to get out of there. Don't get rid of the shovel. Your fingerprints are on it and it could be used against you. Come to my house _now."_

Aria smacked Spencer. "She can't come here. People are looking for her. They'll spot her instantly, and they'll spot the shovel too."

"So what do I do?" Emily asked on the other end.

This time, it was Hanna with the idea. "Throw the shovel into the lake at the graveyard. And then…then tell the police you went for an early-morning run! Tell them you weren't feeling good and needed to get things off your mind. When they're done asking questions, come straight to Spencer's house."

"And come _quickly._" Aria added. "Don't let anyone see you throw that shovel into the lake. _A _could be watching."

"We're really glad you're okay. Just be fast. We want you safe." Spencer said into the phone before she hung up and turned to look at Aria. "Aria, you need to get Jason to tell you _everything _he knows about _A._"


End file.
